My Adoptive Grandson
by Sarah Slutz
Summary: The first time we see Goku, he's a cute and feisty jungle boy living all by himself. What happened before that? We see some glimpses of it in Dragonball, but here's a window into that time...


**My Adoptive Grandson **

**By: Sarah Slutz**

_Thanks Trynia Merin for betaing! _

Son Gohan tried to warm his hands by rubbing them together, which were cold even after donning the thick gloves he was wearing. Winter was very near and it was already freezing up here in the mountains. He picked up another piece of wood --the fireplace must be filled with burning logs, or he'll freeze. He was so tired, but couldn't stop to rest, because the wood must be collected. As he worked, the martial artist was aware that he was getting very sentimental that day. Sometimes there was nothing much to do around here but ruminate…

_Sunlight filters through the open window, and I place the pillow over my face, trying to shield the harsh light filtering through. Kamesennin enters the room, and I pretend to be asleep. "That won't work today, little one. Now, stand up at once or I'll do it for you." I grunt and snuggle deeper into the warm covers. Kamesennin begins to get impatient and he flings the covers. He grabbed my shoulders and I stare at his dark sunglasses that he never takes off. He is surprisingly low key, but I know it is the calm before the storm. I stand up, knowing that if I linger any longer, he will make me train until midnight. He glared at me sternly and I bowed. "Gomen nasai, sensei." He simply shook his head at me disciplined me as he said he would... After that day, I learned to wake up the second he entered the room. _

Gohan smiled at the memory. Even after so many years, he still missed his old sensei. His training may have been very hard, but effective. Even at his advanced age, he was still capable of caring for himself all alone in Pauzu Yama, without the aid any kind of technology.

Sighing, he decided he needed to concentrate on the task at hand… he shouldn't be daydreaming when there was so much work to do. He took his axe but decided against it; he would use his bare hands to cut the big logs this time.

Once the task was finished, he walked to the large pile of wood he had collected and glimpsed something very strange coming from the sky. It resembled a big egg for a while and then when it neared where he was standing with great speed, he couldn't make out what it was. He saw it land with a mighty crash that lit up the sky and he shielded his eyes against the glare. Even far as he was, he still felt little pieces of debris hit him all over. His instincts told him to hide and watch it from a distance in case it was something dangerous, but his mighty curiosity got the better of him and he went to see what was inside that ... container?

He was very fortunate that the object crashed a long way from his little house. It could have been easily destroyed, and he could have been killed too when it landed.

A closer inspection didn't reveal much: it was spherical, very dark grey and had some sort of glass opening but it was too dark looking through the glass to be able to see anything inside. Hesitantly, he got closer again. Suddenly, a voice blared out in a female monotone, "Stable environment found, temperature, below freezing level. Humidity: adequate. Gravity: adequate. Contamination level: tolerable for life. Process of unfreezing will be completed in one hour."

Staring open-mouthed at it, he stepped back panicking. _That thing can talk? What kind of technology produced it? _

He ventured for a closer look, almost trembling. The ship would open in an hour it had said more or less. The old man waited the whole hour, standing besides the capsule, terrified but extremely curious at the same time, not being able to move from that spot.

Slowly the hour dragged by and finally, the capsule opened with a hiss and he jumped back, startled. Inside the half-open ship, there was a little baby boy.

_A baby? _

Gasping in shock, Son Gohan calculated he was about two weeks old. The baby had a surprising amount of hair, like a black aurora of spikes. He was naked and sucking his thumb. Something slipped out of the capsule, a brown, thick, _tail!? _

_This baby has a tail?! How can that be? He can't be human!! _

Just when he was about to flee, Son Sohan saw him yawning --a very human characteristic-- and his heart melted. What could he do? Gohan didn't have the heart to leave him here to his fate. It was very improbable that his parents would come back for him. This ship must have arrived from another planet --the tail and the space ship proved it irrevocably. But for what reason?

Shaking his head, Gohan decided it didn't matter. Whatever of whoever that baby was, whichever his purpose for crashing on Chikyuu, he was just a little defenseless baby. The old martial artiest would never be able to live with himself if he left him there to die, so close to his home. Firmly, he made his decision and took the boy in his arms, covering him with his outer garment. He was shivering and sniffling slightly, but didn't wake up.

_You will now live with me, and your name, little fellow, is Son Goku. _

Gohan arrived back at his home after a thirty minute walk and set a trembling Goku on his bed. Smiling, Gohan realized he would have to make a bed for the baby if he was going to stay. He sighed deeply. The ship had said Goku would wake up in an hour, so there was nothing much he could do for the remaining time besides keeping him as warm as possible.

Half an hour slowly elapsed, while Gohan puttered around, straightening and cleaning around the house. Always he kept an eye on Goku, his new partner.

He woke up and his big, dark, black eyes stared at the old man. Instantly he began crying savagely. Gohan tried to hold him, but the baby bit him hard. With blood dripping from his hand, and his wailing drumming in his ears, the newly adoptive grandfather wasn't feeling his best. He tried to hold the baby again, but this time he got kicked quite hard. He was too strong to be so small! A bruise would form on his abdomen, Gohan was sure.

_Well, what did I expect? A baby comes from space with a tail, definitely not normal. Now I'll have to go to town for the first time in years to buy bottles, clothes, diapers… I don't know how to care for a baby!! Well, better try to put this baby to sleep... if I can. _

Hours later, Goku finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. That day would bring the full moon, so Son Gohan hoped that the sound of the wolves' usual howls wouldn't wake him up. When he heard a distant howling his hopes shattered when Goku immediately began to cry again. Son Gohan took him in his arms, careful to avoid his mouth or legs. Several bandages on his hands and bruises on his abdomen reminded him well enough, and took him outside to try calm him. Perhaps some fresh air would help, but it seemed that tonight both of them would not be able to get much sleep.

Outside, Son Gohan was walking with a finally silent Goku. The cool night breeze made both a little sleepy. Then, Goku opened his eyes and looked around, still silent. _Should a baby so small be able to look around so keenly? _All of a sudden, he looked up, seemingly staring very intently at the full moon. The strangest thing Son Gohan had ever witnessed started happening. The little tailed baby began sprouting fur all over his tiny body, getting bigger, rapidly transforming. Son Gohan stepped back wearily, dropping the baby when his weight became too much, a silent scream of terror stuck in his throat.

In a matter of half a minute, he was looking up at a giant monkey. He simply couldn't believe his eyes; it was too amazing and terrifying to behold. But then, realization struck, this thing would kill him in two seconds flat! Scared out of his wits, he began running to his house, panic tearing at his thoughts. He ran for a long time, and, fortunately, Goku did not follow him. He finally saw the door of his humble home and no sight was ever more welcome. With a final push of his tired legs he got into the adobe. The old martial artist was scared, trembling and sweating. Will the monkey eventually follow him there?

The hours dragged on, and he just couldn't sleep. He kept thinking, what had happened? What in the name of _Kami_ had that been? Obviously, he was an alien, anything could have happened. Maybe it was something programmed in him, something in Chikyuu's atmosphere, perhaps even something he had said had triggered it. After he continued mulling it over hard, he then realized it _had_ to be the full moon. The child had looked up right at it and then he began transforming. So from now on, he would have to keep Goku indoors on the nights when there was a full moon… if they were both still alive in the morning.

Some hours later, the sun rose high in the sky and there was still no sign of the transformed baby... How much rampage did he cause? Would the monster eventually come for him? Son Gohan went about his morning routine, very agitated. He would now have to go and look for him. He knew Goku was dangerous, but he wasn't responsible for his actions. It was a transformation he didn't have the power to stop. No matter what, he must take care of his adoptive grandson. It was the only right thing to do.

He donned his thickest coat, since it was still very cold, and went outside. There Son Gohan could see that the damage caused by Goku just walking around on those huge feet was enormous. He could spot fallen trees, broken mountains and assorted rubble everywhere. It was a very good thing that he didn't live closer to town, because it would have been much worse. Not only would the landscape have suffered, but also a lot of human beings could have died.

Son Gohan walked further, all the while looking around, searching for any sign of him, following the trail of destruction. At last, after several hours of looking around he found the little fellow. He was lying motionless at the bottom of a cliff. _Is he alive?_ Despite everything, he fervently hoped so. Running to his side, the older man looked him over and felt for his pulse. Yes, thanks to _Kami-sama_ he was alive, but very injured. It was a miracle that he survived that fall at all. Gently, he took Goku in his arms and walked home to bandage him up.

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A couple of weeks went by quicker than anticipated and Son Gohan continued to care for little Goku. In that space of time he had seen some strange changes occur in his child that the older man didn't know what to make of. First, Goku was much more passive than before, and had grown to be extremely sweet. Considering the way had he bit and kicked him at the start and cried so hard his ears had probably squirted blood, he was now being a little angel. Could the fall be the cause? That nasty accident could have affected him more than expected.

Another odd fact was that Goku ate like nobody he had ever met, and he was supposed to be a baby! How could his little body hold in so much food! Thirdly, he was very strong for someone his age. During one of his crying fits --that fortunately were less frequent since the fall-- he punched a hole through the wall, then he continued sucking his thumb peacefully as if nothing had happened. _I'll train him, when he is old enough. I see a great potential in him. _

After much thought, Son Gohan decided that the day the boy arrived with a crash to Chikyuu, October 20, was as good a date as any for his birthday, since he didn't know the real date of his birth. He was Gohan's son now, and the old man would do anything in his power to give him a better life than anything that had been planned for him. Giving him a name, a birthday and a place to live was certainly a start.

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Two years after the crash...

Son Gohan couldn't believe that it was Goku's second birthday. He had to say that he'd grown very attached to the little fellow. After learning to control the kid's tantrums and to hunt quite a bit of game to satisfy his huge appetite, life had become a pleasant routine. Goku sometimes accompanied Son Gohan on his hunts and already knew which animals and plants were good to eat. Goku called him Hohan -he couldn't pronounce the G- something that would never fail to make him laugh. He asked for food in a very loud way, but the adoptive grandfather was hoping he would learn some manners soon enough. Son Gohan was trying very hard to teach him so many things, but he was quite stubborn when it came to learning proper social decorum.

That day he had promised him that, because it was a special occasion, they would go to the lake to swim. He was very exited and kept saying, "Lake, lake." Goku was a very lively boy. They went walking along the way to the lake, which was a mile away, and Goku didn't complain once. Ever since he learned to walk, he never tired of it. As the duo strolled along, hand in hand, the boy looked at his grandfather and asked, "Grampa Hohan, where is lake?"

Glancing at his adoptive son's huge eyes and his unruly hair and he beamed. Goku was gazing at him as if he was his hero or something. Son Gohan smiled again and replied, "Near, my boy, near." Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

Goku immediately plunged inside the cool water of the lake, taking great pleasure in splashing water all over. In the meantime, Son Gohan sat under the shade of a nearby tree, musing about how the arrival of Goku has changed his life. He relaxed and began dozing. It was a cool day, and the breeze would always make him sleepy.

Suddenly, he was startled awake by screams and he stood up quickly. He noticed Goku swimming desperately towards the shore of the lake, and then spotted a black flipper sticking out of the surface.

_A Shark?!?!?!? In the lake? _

Son Gohan leapt inside the chilly water, not stopping to take off his shoes. Looking for his son, crying out his name, he plunged under the water again and then surfaced for some air.

But then, he witnessed Goku beating up the shark. His little fists were flying all over the place, hitting the creature that was easily three times his size. Opening his eyes wide he saw both the creature and Goku disappear underwater. A few seconds later the water in that spot was tainted with a red cloud and Goku's head broke the surface. Goku was beaming proudly, saying, "I hunt, I hunt."

_This boy is unbelievable_, Son Gohan thought as he swam up to him and folded him in his arms and congratulated him for his bravery. The boy just beamed at him and then slipped out his grandfather's arms to continue swimming.

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Three years after the crash ...

It was Goku's third birthday, and that wasn't the only factor that made that day special. Son Gohan had decided to start his grandson's training. Because the parent knew he wasn't going to live forever, it was required for him to teach his boy how to defend himself even after his adoptive father was gone. Goku needed to learn to gather his own wood and cut it, how to hunt and to cook, the way to make clothes for himself, among so many other tasks.

Already he was capable of doing most of these chores and was spending some time outdoors on his own. Thinking about this worried the elderly man, due to the boy's issues with the full moon. Son Gohan called him back from where he was entertaining himself to have a little man-to-man conversation.

He found the boy in their tiny living room, playing with the new wooden toy car he'd made for him. He sit down on the only chair in the place and told him, "Goku, come here."

The boy looked up a little startled. His grandson was quite concentrated while playing, and Gohan thought about how he needed to train Goku to be a bit more aware of his surroundings. Standing up Goku then voiced out, "_Hai_!" just like Gohan had taught him. Grinning, he positioned himself on his grandpa's lap.

"Goku, I must tell you a frightening story. It is about a boy, that when he looks at the full moon, he turns into a giant monkey!!" Son Gohan explained, smiling down at his child.

The boy's eyes immediately lit up, for he had always loved scary stories.

"Who is 'him', grandpa?"

"We may never know, but you are in danger each full moon, because he may come. So, I must warn you about it now. You must _never_ I tell you NEVER!!!! look at the full moon," he answered, lying a little, but knowing it must be done.

Goku asked in that innocent and childish voice of his, "_Dooshite_?"

"Because the big monkey may come."

He looked delighted at this new development and asked, "Is he scary?"

"Really scary, he's huge, like this," the grandfather made a gesture with his arms, stretching them out wide. "He's hairy, and has a hideous mouth filled with pointy teeth like a shark." He pulled a face to the delight of a laughing Goku.

"_Honto_?" he asked laughing, ecstatically happy with the special effects. Gohan's expression turned serious as he said, "Yes, and this is for real. He's very dangerous; you must promise to never look at the full moon. Do you promise?"

"_Hai_," Goku answered.

Son Gohan nodded, still not satisfied. "I want to be really sure, what is that thing that you can't look at?!"

"The full moon!" the boy exclaimed.

"Do you promise?" the older man insisted.

"Hai!" Goku said.

Feeling pretty sure that Goku had understood what had been told to him, Son Gohan then proceeded to chat about something else.

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_Grampa Gohan told me today about a big monster and that I shouldn't look at the full moon. He looked really worried; I don't understand what's wrong. I guess he's scared of the big monster. Grandpa taught me how to find and cut wood I did it with my hands, it was really easy. He looked very surprised, and I don't know why. Then, he taught me how to hunt and I did it with my hands, like the time I killed the ugly shark. He looked surprised again, but not too much. And then he told me many other stories about someone named Kamesennin and I like them. Then I fell asleep. _

The boy was simply amazing. He cut the wood that Son Gohan gave him with his bare hands like it was nothing. Not only that, he then killed a deer with those same hands too, as if it was the most natural thing. _What am I going to do with such a handful? At least he is a fast learner. _

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Some weeks later ...

Son Gohan decided that day to show his grandson the unique sphere he had once found. He called Goku over and found him running around, like the crazy little toddler that that he was. Son Gohan told him to come and sit with him

"Goku, as part of our training, I want to show you something special that I found one day on the bottom of a lake."

"What is it?" Goku asked, intrigued.

"It is a very pretty sphere with four stars on it. Look at it." Son Gohan showed him the four star Dragon ball, proudly. It was a beautiful orange color, gleaming just as brightly the first day he'd found it. Four stars were suspended magically in its heart. Goku gazed at it reverently and exclaimed, "How pretty!" Then, he touched it with great curiosity and care.

"Do you like it?" Son Gohan asked his boy.

"Hai!" Goku nodded emphatically.

"Then, you can have it," he informed his boy, smiling. "So you might always remember me. I'm not going to live forever, you know," Gohan said in a somber voice. But Goku didn't notice his grandfather's melancholy. He just heard the fact he could keep the pretty sphere.

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"_Hai_."

Excitedly, he took it and started playing with it, but with much more care than he showed his other toys.

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Four years after the crash ...

"Grampa, grampa, look at what I hunted!" Goku was running around with a bear balanced on his back, at least four times his weight. Son Gohan smiled at him and enthused, "Good boy, now you have your dinner, and I'll get mine," knowing from four years of experience that he would eat it all in a matter of minutes and still be hungry.

They had already commenced their training and he was teaching Goku pretty much in the way Kamesennin had done to him. So he took his boy on long walks, made him climb huge mountains, push big rocks, swim in shark infested lakes among other dangerous activities. But not only that, he was also trying to teach him how to read. Even though it had been a little difficult for him, Son Gohan had already taught him so much physically, and was trying his best to also develop his mind. His ki was growing decidedly stronger practically by the day.

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_Grampa Gohan took me today to a big mountain and told me to jump from the peak. I was scared at first, but I did it. Grampa told me the secret was to be concentrated on any root or rock that I could use to grab a couple of times during the long fall. I jumped from the highest peak and nothing happened to me. After that Grampa even gave me an extra portion of the deer he had hunted. _

Son Gohan was very happy and pleased with Goku's progress. He was a very willing student, in every way. He was so proud of him. The night before, a pack of wolves tried to attack the house, but Goku killed them all expertly.

He had really grown to love that boy with the unruly hair with all his heart.

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Some weeks later ...

"Goku, come here I want to show you something," he called out.

"What is it grampa?" his boy asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"It is something really special that my sensei gave me and I want to give it to you." Then, he took out a long, brown rod stuck in a cylindrical case. It even had a rope tied to either end so the bearer could sling it over one shoulder

"That is just a stick. What is so special about it?" Goku asked when he took the gift.

Son Gohan laughed, remembering he had made the same mistake the first time he'd seen the magic rod. "Oh dear, don't let your eyes deceive you, this _stick_ as you call it, grows if you say so. Go on, try it."

He looked hesitantly at his grandpa. "What must I do?"

"Say, Nyo-bo grow." Goku took the rod and said, with fairly veiled amusement, "Grow Nyo-bo."

Gasping, he watched it grow.

"It grew!" he squealed.

Goku was amazed with his new "toy", and didn't know how useful it will it be to him in the future.

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Five years after the crash ...

Goku was very strong now, and he knew how to take care of himself quite well. Son Gohan no longer had worries about leaving him to an uncertain fate. He knew he was a special boy and that great things were ahead of him. Musing about all this, he noticed that it was a full moon that night. Goku was already asleep, and he was sure he would follow his orders. He had always been a very obedient boy.

The boy suddenly woke up thinking, _I need to go to the bathroom, I hope I don't wake up grampa. _

Goku went outside, not wanting to wake up his grandpa and started doing his business. Looking up, he noticed the moon and stared at it, transfixed.

_The moon, it looks so pretty and big, Oh, but I must not see it, ooops ... I already looked at it, I hope the big mean monkey doesn't eat me. _

The same transformation that had happened five years ago then occurred again. His eyes turned brown, and became glazed over, like he was hypnotized. Shivers convulsed his whole body. Hair sprouted all over his skin. Every muscle burst to huge proportions, tearing up his clothes. Growing and expanding incredibly, he made growling, inhuman sounds that woke up his grandfather.

Startled, Son Gohan jolted awake. _What are those noises! _Sudden realization struck him, and he remembered a time five years ago when Goku turned into... No, it couldn't be! He ran outside, for what reason, he didn't know but he felt he needed to do something.

Overhead loomed the threatening shape. He threw his hands before his face as the shadow of his transformed grandson stepped on him.

His last words before being crushed underfoot were "Goku, NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

Goku was not thinking rationally. He simply stomped on everything that was in his way, destroying trees, mountains, and stepping on his beloved grandfather.

After several hours of rampage, daybreak finally came and Goku woke up with a ray of sunlight shinning directly on his face. He blinked in a daze, not remembering a thing.

_Strange, what am I doing here? Naked, hhmmmm. Where am I? Where's grampa? _

Goku hiked a great distance until he neared his home. What he saw, broken, flattened, bloody, cold and lying practically in pieces on the ground, broke his heart. Nothing moved in the light of the morning sun. The sight tore out desperate screams from his throat.

Grampa? Grampa? _Grampa? GRAMPA!!!!!!!! _

Goku bent down next to his dead grandfather. Pieces of his short life played through his mind once and twice, his eyes blurring with tears. He began crying harder and harder, until finally, he raised up his head to the sky, and yelled for all the world to hear.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

The only sound that was later heard on the mountain was the gentle breeze that tried to muffle the desperate wails of a five-year-old. Raised as a human he was really a Saiya-jin.

The En


End file.
